was a
kabuki
is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.
Kabuki is thought to ...
play of the
Kabuki Jūhachiban
The , or Eighteen Best Kabuki Plays, is a set of kabuki plays, strongly associated with the Ichikawa Danjūrō line of actors ever since their premieres. These works were chosen and assembled as "the eighteen" by actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VII (180 ...
, first performed in 1699.
It is no longer extant.
Uwanari-uchi
was a marital custom dating back to the
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...
.
As marriage was not clearly defined, no ceremony took place that marked the status of a woman as a 'wife', although men would often join the households of their wives and receive material support. This relationship did not preclude the man from visiting other women - in these instances, the first wife was referred to as ''konami'' and the second wife was the , derived from the Japanese word given the metaphorical image of the second wife disturbing the tranquility of the first relationship like a ripple. Custom therefore allowed the first wife to vent her anger on the second wife for stealing her husband's affections, usually in the form of attacking her house.
''Uwanari-uchi'' persisted until the early sixteenth century as a socially acceptable custom.
See also
*Ōko Uwanari-uchi no Zu, an
ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surfac ...
by
Utagawa Hiroshige
Utagawa Hiroshige (, also ; ja, 歌川 広重 ), born Andō Tokutarō (; 1797 – 12 October 1858), was a Japanese ''ukiyo-e'' artist, considered the last great master of that tradition.
Hiroshige is best known for his horizontal-format l ...
References
1699 plays
Kabuki plays
{{17thC-play-stub